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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26218513">A Gamer's Courtship Ritual</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DigitalThespian/pseuds/DigitalThespian'>DigitalThespian</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Rare Pairings, Video &amp; Computer Games</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:41:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,186</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26218513</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DigitalThespian/pseuds/DigitalThespian</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Shiho meets Futaba after an unfortunate trigger, and decides she'd like to know her better. Futaba is just very, very gay.</p><p>Fortunately for both of them, they have their friends to help out.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sakamoto Ryuji &amp; Sakura Futaba, Sakamoto Ryuji/Takamaki Ann, Sakura Futaba/Suzui Shiho, Suzui Shiho &amp; Takamaki Ann</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Gamer's Courtship Ritual</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Have a thing! This has been sitting around for ages, and I kept not posting it because I didn't feel like it was "done" enough, but if I keep that up I'll never post anything. I've said this before, so in future I'll leave this out, but if something seems a bit sub-standard compared to some of my larger works, that's probably why. I probably missed some tags, so if you feel like I should add something, let me know!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Um.. Ann?"</p><p>"Huh? Oh, hey Shiho! What's up?"</p><p>"I went to LeBlanc yesterday," She smiled gently, but it was no longer weak.</p><p>Ann was so proud of her. "That's great! You finally talk to Akira?"</p><p>She winced. "I, uh.. he came downstairs and I panicked, cause Akira has black hair, and he's tall and he's vaguely athletic, you know, since he's bulked up recently.. and I bolted out the door."</p><p>"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"</p><p>"Huh—what? Ann, I'm here to ask you to apologize to Akira for me, not.. It's not his fault I still can't deal!" Shiho's voice broke at the end, and Ann swore her heart broke with it.</p><p>"And it's not <em>your</em> fault either! Here," Ann held out a hand. "I'm putting all of our numbers in your phone; you're important to me, so you're important to them." She pointed sharply. "Don't hesitate to reach out to any of us, at any time, for <em>any</em> reason, you got that?!" She laughed despite her harsh words. "Besides, I've been trying to get you and my other friends to hang out for ages! We're just all so <em>busy</em>."</p><p>Shiho handed Ann her phone. "Thanks, Ann. That's.. Sakamoto-kun, Kurusu-kun, Nijima-senpai, and Okumura-senpai?"</p><p>"Yep! But call her Haru-senpai, she prefers to keep her social and work lives separate. And there's also Futaba, Sojiro's daughter."</p><p>"Oh yeah, the redhead!"</p><p>"You know her?"</p><p>"She awkwardly patted me on the head in the alleyway after I ran out, and then sat next to me. Never said a word."</p><p>Ann laughed. "That sounds like our Futaba."</p><p>"It was very sweet."</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p>
<p></p><div class="texting">
  <p>Sakura-chan: Hey so what gives with the whole 'never played video games' thing??? You're friends with *Ryuji*,</p>
  <p>Suzui-chan: I guess I just never got into it?</p>
  <p>Sakura-chan: You gotta come over and play sometime!!</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><p>Shiho cheered internally; she had <em>absolutely</em> played games with Ryuji, but she needed a reason to spend time with Futaba in person.</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div class="texting">
  <p>Suzui-chan: I'd love to!</p>
</div><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Futaba squealed and kicked her feet in excitement. "She said yes!"</p><p>"Dude, I told ya she would!" Ryuji grinned. He was well aware Shiho was lying; but he <em>also</em> knew she had it bad for Futaba, so he just.. nudged things in the right direction. "What are you guys gonna play?"</p><p>Futaba blushed. "Uh. Well, I was actually thinking Overcooked."</p><p>"You gonna hook up the dock to one of your monitors?"</p><p>"..yeah, that was a dumb idea, wasn't it.."</p><p>"I don't even know what the idea is, how would I know?! C'mon, I'm the king of dumb ideas, let's hear it!"</p><p>Futaba giggled. "I was actually gonna use the Switch screen being small as an excuse to sit shoulder-to-shoulder."</p><p>"Man, see, this is why you were the navi and not me!" Futaba giggled again. "You're out here living in 3020, while us peasants are stuck in the 21st century," He wrinkled his nose. "Least we're not those poor bastards in America who're stuck in <em>19</em>20, at <em>best</em>."</p><p>"Yeah, but.. I have tons of cables and adapters, we all know I of all people could easily rig it up to a monitor."</p><p>Ryuji slapped a fist into his palm, like he was triumphantly throwing 'rock' in a rock-paper-scissors game.</p><p>..Look, metaphors were Yusuke's thing, alright? "I got it; I'll help you adjust the arms of your desk chair to be wide enough for you to both fit, and you can go ahead and hook it up to a monitor! It'd still be too hard to see from the bed, so you'll both have to use the chair, and there's no real way around snugglin' then."</p><p>Futaba stared in disbelief. "You're a genius when you want to be, huh?"</p><p>"I have my moments," Ryuji preened. His phone pinged, a single clear bell tone; not at all his usual style. "Oh shit, that's Makoto." He pulled out his phone. "Shit it's five till noon I gotta go!"</p><p>He bolted out of the room, yelling over his shoulder. "I'll be back to help with the chair!"</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>"Ann, I need your help."</p><p>"What is it? What's wrong! Is it serious?!"</p><p>"I've developed a Thing™ for Sakura-chan."</p><p>Ann's eyes widened. "Oh, that <em>is</em> serious! Alright, what's the plan?"</p><p>Shiho's eyebrows went up. "Plan?!"</p><p>"Yeah, the plan to get Futaba to fall in love with you, duh," She poked Shiho in the nose. "Come on, you're not <em>that</em> much of a dumb jock."</p><p>"..You think it'll be that easy?"</p><p>"Oh yeah; stealing hearts isn't just for the Phantom Thieves."</p><p>"You know; I could see you making a good Phantom Thief."</p><p>Ann chuckled nervously. "You think so?"</p><p>Shiho sighed internally.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>"Hello, Sakura-san," She bowed. "I'm Shiho Suzui."</p><p>"Call me Boss; it's become the de-facto standard around here."</p><p>"Are you sure..?"</p><p>"My daughter invited you into her sanctuary; if she trusts you enough to do <em>that</em>, then you've earned the right to familiarity around here. I'm sure her other friends would agree."</p><p>..Shiho hadn't realized how big of a deal it was to have been invited into Sakura-chan's room. "Thanks, Boss."</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>"Sakura-chan?"</p><p>"Wah!!" Futaba screeched, jumping in surprise. She whirled around, stomping a foot with a pout."You scared me!"</p><p>Shiho giggled. "I told you I was coming; you have no one but yourself to blame."</p><p>Futaba stared for a split second before grinning. "I can respect that." Her grin vanished as she wrinkled her nose. "But 'Sakura-chan' has gotta go, that's.. that feels weird. Even if you gotta call me 'kohei' as a form of address."</p><p>Shiho blushed slightly. "..if you say so.. Futaba-chan."</p><p>Futaba beamed. "Good! Now," She held out her arms to show off the large monitor displaying the logo for Overcooked 2. "Let us play! We uh," She pulled out the chair—Ryuji had helped her 'loosen' the bolts holding the arms on, even bringing some boards to stick in there to widen the actual seat bottom; so they should hopefully both just barely fit.</p><p><em>Hopefully.</em> "We may have to scrunch, I only have the one chair.."</p><p>Sojiro's voice drifted through the door. "Futaba, we <em>have</em> chairs. It's <em>your</em> house too, you know; you can use one."</p><p>Futaba panicked internally, but before she could say anything, Shiho piped up. "Oh, it's no trouble, Boss! We're both skinny, and besides; Ryuji always said that cramming too many people onto the couch was part of the 'in-person multiplayer experience', or something. If it gets to be too uncomfortable I'll say something. Don't worry, I'm not shy about that kind of thing."</p><p>He laughed. "Suit yourself, kid."</p><p>"Oh!" Shiho turned to her with a nervous smile. "Sorry, I hope that's okay..?"</p><p>Futaba nodded rapidly. "Yeah, of course! Ryuji's right, I just.. haven't really done that myself either, so this will be like, a shared rite of passage on our journey to being true gamers."</p><p>"Okay!" Shiho stepped around the chair and sat down in the dead center, looking at Futaba expectantly.</p><p>"Um." Futaba was confused.</p><p>"Well? You don't have to be shy, I'm not made of glass," Shiho laughed easily, and Futaba felt her face flush as she patted her lap. "Surely the gamer queen herself can handle it?"</p><p><em>Oh, it is <b>on</b>, now.</em> "Of course she can! Pfft!" Futaba marched over, handing Shiho a Switch controller pair before picking up her own. She steeled herself during that time; no hesitation! She was gonna sit on this cute girl's lap, and she wasn't going to have a gay panic attack at all!</p><p>Thanks to her pep talk, (and massive competitive streak, but was neither here nor there), she did just that. She settled down, and—feeling particularly bold—pressed her back to Shiho's chest. "This okay?"</p><p>"Of course! Make yourself comfortable." Shiho's breath puffed across Futaba's neck when she spoke, and Futaba realized this may have been biting off more than she could chew.</p><p>She gulped. "Yeah! So-so what chef do you want to be?"</p><p>"Let's see.. Purple squid chef. I love it." She kept flipping through, then stopped. "..Oh, I <em>have</em> to," She selected her chef: The raccoon in a wheelchair.</p><p>Futaba cackled, then immediately felt <em>awful</em>. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" She started to turn, but Shiho put a hand on her waist to stop her.</p><p>"Hey, it's okay; I picked him <em>because</em> it's funny. It's okay to laugh."</p><p>"O-okay," She picked her chef—the crocodile—and they started the game.</p><p>"Oh my god the <em>Unbread</em>," Shiho groaned. "That's so <em>bad</em> but such a good pun."</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Several hours went by, and as they plowed through level after level, rarely needing more than two attempts for a 3-star ranking, Futaba realized..</p><p>
  <em>There was <b>no way</b> Shiho was new to games. She was <b>way</b> too good at this.</em>
</p><p><em>Maybe she just had a knack, though.. wait. Idea~!</em> "Alright, something different; on the count of three I need you to hit ZX."</p><p>Shiho laughed. "What?! That's not even a real <em>button</em>!"</p><p>"You're right, it's not," Futaba shot her a sly glance. "..but how did <em>you</em> know that?"</p><p>Shiho paused the game, but didn't answer for a moment. "I.."</p><p>"I'm not letting you escape, miss wheelchair raccoon!" Futaba awkwardly turned around, setting her shins alongside Shiho's thighs and sitting on her heels. She planted her fists on her hips with an exaggerated pout. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself? You think you can just waltz in here and have a good time with no reason or explanation?"</p><p>Shiho winced.</p><p>"You're damn right you can!" Her head shot up to see Futaba grinning like a madwoman.</p><p>"What? ..really?"</p><p>"Uh, yeah? It's not like you need to justify wanting to spend time with friends."</p><p>"Er.." Shiho blushed, and after a few moments it became clear she was too embarrassed to continue. Futaba felt like she had been struck by lightning.</p><p><em>No way. There was no way.</em> "Oh my god," Futaba lowered her voice so Sojiro wouldn't hear. "Did you pretend to have never played games so you could spend time with me one on one..?"</p><p>"..yeah. I'm sorry."</p><p>"Shiho, you don't have to be embarrassed."</p><p>She looked up shyly, and Futaba continued. "I had Ryuji help me put these slats in today so that the chair was wide enough for both of us, so that you'd have to sit pressed up against me," Shiho gasped softly.</p><p>"Futaba?" She whispered.</p><p>"..yeah?"</p><p>"I'm gonna kiss you now, if that's alright with you."</p><p>Futaba nodded distantly, pleasantly reeling from the sudden intimacy. "Please."</p><p>Shiho scooted forwards, hugging Futaba close before kissing her like her life depended on it. After a few seconds they slowly drifted apart, a smirk on Shiho's face. "You're a good kisser."</p><p>"Um. That was actually my first."</p><p>"Mm, I guess kissing girls is just better then. Or <em>you're</em> just a natural." She winked.</p><p>"..wanna figure it out?"</p><p>"You're cute, Futaba. Yeah," She smiled crookedly. "Kiss me again, dahling."</p><p>Futaba giggled, obliging her.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Ryuji started as Ann squealed in excitement. "Jesus, Ann! Gimme a heart attack, why dontcha?"</p><p>"Ryuji look!" Ann thrust her phone towards him, teetering dangerously, so he took it before she could fall.</p><p>She did anyway, straight into his lap. She chuckled, embarrassed. "Oops.."</p><p>He let out a resigned sigh, then looked at the photo that was pulled up on Ann's phone.</p><p>It showed Futaba sitting on Shiho's lap, holding her phone above her head to take the selfie. Shiho had her arms around Futaba's middle, and she was kissing her cheek. Futaba was obviously giggling, one eye closed on the side Shiho was kissing, and both of them had a bright blush on their faces. "..That is effin <em>adorable</em>."</p><p>"I'm so happy for them," Ann sighed dreamily. "It's so romantic."</p><p>Ryuji paused a moment. "Hey, Ann."</p><p>She squirmed a bit to roll over in his lap to look up at him. "What's up?"</p><p>"..Can I take you out for crepes on Thursday? My treat."</p><p>"Ryuji!" Ann gasped dramatically with a smirk. "Making a move, are we?"</p><p>He looked away, grumbling to himself. "..you coulda just said no."</p><p>This time Ann bolted upright. "Wait! I didn't realize you actually—"</p><p>"Yeah, well, I did." He still wouldn't look back at her.</p><p>She caught his chin, turning his head to look at her. She gave him the brightest smile she could muster. "Ryuji, I would <em>love</em> to go on a date with you."</p><p>He stared back, a big, dumb smile spreading across his face. "Right on; where do you wanna go?"</p><p>"Hey, isn't the boy supposed to make the date plans?" Ann raised an eyebrow, clearly teasing him.</p><p>"I'm not dumb enough to try and predict what you wanna eat! I'm cool with whatever, but I swear you want somethin' different every five freakin' minutes!" Ryuji laughed. "I can if it's important to ya, but I don't know the first thing about which places have what flavors."</p><p>Ann smiled gently. "You're sweet. But you're also a smart boy for not getting between a girl and her food."</p><p>He blushed. "Damn, I think that's the first time someone's called me smart that wasn't my ma in like, ever."</p><p>Ann's eyes twinkled. "You have your moments."</p>
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